Beyond the Court: Creating A Positive Customer Experience At Your Sports Facility

In the sports facility industry, it’s not just the thrill of the game that keeps customers coming back to your facility – it’s the experience that surrounds it. Every interaction shapes a customer’s perception of your business. Creating a positive customer experience is a necessity for the continued growth and success of a sports facility. In this blog post, we dive into a few ways you can create a positive first impression. 

Creating A Positive Customer Experience Using Facility Designs

The way you design your space must be carefully thought through. The first priority is crafting clear paths throughout the building. A customer should be able to easily walk from a court to a concession stand to the bathrooms – and even the exit. Not being able to find something can cause frustration and create more of a stressful experience. Also, are you able to operate without getting in the way of clients? Imagine you’re unloading new snacks for your concession stand and end up accidentally blocking the entrance. If a client can’t enter or exit the facility with ease, they might not even visit.  

Another aspect to consider with space is multi-use spaces. For example, can your basketball court easily convert to a volleyball court when rented out? If your space can be used for multiple purposes, you can target a far wider audience than if it were a single-purpose space. For those facilities considering memberships, you can also designate a space that is members-only. These member-specific spaces will help make your members feel special and provide some additional benefits that non-members will not receive. 

Creating A Positive Customer Experience By Building Relationships

Have you ever walked into an empty restaurant and immediately felt weird? There are a few factors that can ruin the feeling that someone might have when they walk into your facility. These factors can be visual (like cleanliness) or fit more of a vibe (like the friendliness of the staff). Make sure that anyone walking into your facility for the first time will leave with a positive impression. Also, new customers will be more likely to return if they feel valued during their visit – so building relationships that first time is critical. 

A great way to build a relationship with customers is to reward them. Create a loyalty program, or membership, for customers. Offer discounts on services, access to special events, and give in-store credit for referrals. If you stay engaged with your customers, you will have a stronger relationship – allowing them to enjoy a better experience when they come to the facility. 

Access control is an essential user-friendly feature for facilities with passive owners. An owner can set hours and control who comes into the facility without needing to be physically present. Access control software can give customers codes to access the facility at their scheduled time. The benefit of these programs is that they enhance your hours, allowing customers to come when they are free. You won’t have to restrict it only to hours when owners or managers are free. This way, parents with young children, clients who work full-time, and others can enjoy the facility easily. 

Conclusion

Creating a positive customer experience can seem daunting, especially when some factors seem beyond your control. However, there are a few aspects that you can control – that can make a potential customer more likely to revisit your facility. For more insights into how to grow your facility, book a free consultation with our experts. Also, join our social community on Facebook and LinkedIn.